Little Pink Plus Sign
by Buria Campaign
Summary: Rose and Dimitri had accepted the fact that they would never have biological children. So when Rose comes home with some pretty shocking news, they're left to deal with the aftermath. Will it tear them apart or will it make their relationship stronger than ever?
1. Unexpected News

_Stupid. Little. Pink. Plus sign._ When the doctor told me I was pregnant, I'd eloquently called him "a fucking lunatic who doesn't deserve the medical degree that Daddy bought you."

I'd been having problems with my period, or rather lack thereof, so I visited the doctor hoping I didn't have cancer or something equally as awful. What I didn't expect were the words, "You're pregnant," coming out of his stupid mouth.

After I explained that was impossible as my husband was a dhampir like myself, he'd said that it was okay and that Dimitri would forgive me. Then, I may have accidentally slapped the laptop out of his hands resulting in it shattering on the floor. Maybe.

Long story short, I was kicked out of that office…for good. So here I was in a shitty convenience store bathroom staring at this stupid little pink plus sign. It impossibly taunted me as I blinked incessantly wondering if I needed to see an optometrist next.

Tossing the test in the trash, I cursed in Russian and stormed out to my car. Upon slamming the door, I began beating the shit out of my steering wheel and screaming. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be. And if word got out about it…I could only imagine the terrible things people would say about me. After the reputation I'd built up as a royal guardian, I did _not_ need this floating around.

I couldn't deal with all this quiet, so grabbing the wheel, I sped off for a second opinion. The only office I knew for sure was better than that one was the one back at court, and though it was the last place I wanted to be right now, with no other options, I headed that direction.

It only took them a few minutes to get me in as I claimed I was dying and needed medical attention immediately. A few of them recognized me and immediately took me back to my own room.

Equally as instantly, the doctor came into my room. "What seems to be the problem, Guardian Belikov?"

"I'm dying," I responded simply.

Sighing, he took a seat. "You're going to need to be more specific."

Biting my lip, I wondered if I could trust him. "I…my period is a month late."

He nodded and jotted something down on his tablet. "That certainly doesn't mean you're dying. Are you experiencing any other symptoms?" Giving him my best, _just-fucking-do-something_ face, I shrugged. "Are you feeling any nausea, back pain, fatigue?"

"I guess, but I mean, I'm a guardian so back pain and fatigue are kinda in the job description." That's when I realized. Pregnancy. He was describing pregnancy. "Look," I said, leaning towards him, "there's no way I could be pregnant. Dimitri is the only one I have _ever_ had sex with, and he's a dhampir."

Nodding, he stood up. "We'll still need to test it to rule it out." Handing me a tiny plastic jar, he guided me to the bathroom and gave me the same spiel the other doctor had.

After like fifteen minutes of trying to force myself to pee, I finally pushed the jar through the door in the wall and emerged from the bathroom. I was promptly led back to my room and left to wait. And wait. And wait.

I was playing with the tongue depressors when he finally returned. The look on his face was definitely not promising. "Mrs. Belikov, your results came back positive." I stared at him open-mouthed. "You're sure that you haven't —"

"I haven't cheated on my husband!" I practically shouted at him. The lump in my throat twisted once and my vision blurred.

He nodded. "Well then what we're dealing with is extremely rare, but not unheard of." My eyes shot up to meet his. "There are three documented cases of pregnancies resulting from dhampir couples. All three were miscarried as the chromosomes don't match up well. We'll need to monitor this pretty closely."

My head shook involuntarily. This _wasn't_ happening. "Do you realize what people will say about me?" I'd never been one to worry about what others thought of me, but honestly, it wasn't just my reputation at stake. Dimitri's was on the line, and _hell_ even Lissa would suffer from this. I could imagine it already.

 _Don't worry guys. I didn't cheat on my husband. This is just a really rare thing that can happen._ Sure.

"I'm afraid you aren't going to have time for worrying about that, Rose. All of your time would be better invested in prenatal care so that this child has a chance of survival."

Was he stupid? "I can't. I'm Lissa's guardian. I can't be worrying about myself and this child all the time. They come first. This isn't —"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Belikov, but guardianship is behind you." He patted my shoulder. "At least for the next nine months."

I really didn't listen to much of the information he was spouting out. All I knew was that my approximate due date was December 20th and that my next appointment was in two weeks. He'd also given me some prenatal vitamins that I'd forget to take daily.

And with that, he sent me away. Not sure how I'd gotten there, I flopped down on the bed in Dimitri and I's private suite and began poking at my stomach. So many emotions cycled through my mind. There was joy of course, extreme joy that Dimitri and I could have the child we always thought was impossible. But underneath that, an array of negative emotions threatened to come spilling out. Confusion, frustration, _worry_ , all ate at me, and I wondered how I'd possibly make it through this pregnancy.

Ironically, I had to imagine this is how my mom felt. Suddenly, I sat straight up and fumbled for my phone. It took me three tries to finally calm down enough to type her number in correctly.

"Rose?"

I felt tears well up in my eyes. "I know you and Dad are on vacation, but I really need to talk to you."

"Sweetie, are you alright?" Worry flooded her voice.

"Mom, I just —" _Click_. I heard the front door open and anxiety coursed through me. "I just miss you and I hope you guys are having a good trip. I'll call you back okay?" Cutting off anything else she might've said, I hung up and glanced up to see who had come in.

Dimitri.


	2. We're having a baby

Dimitri smiled at me as he walked in. "Hey, babe."

I forced a smile and kissed him. My stomach was doing flips. "How's Christian?"

"Good. He's good. Didn't want to go to that meeting with Lissa today, but you know he'd do anything for her." Pulling me into a hug, he kissed my forehead.

Snuggling against his chest, I fought the urge to cry. "I'm glad she has him."

He nodded, then grabbing my hand, we walked to the kitchen together. "So who were you talking to?"

I almost didn't make it onto the chair. "Umm…my mom."

"Aren't she and Abe on vacation?" he asked as he grabbed a couple mugs from the cabinet.

"Yeah, they are. I think they're having a good time. I'm glad she finally took some time off to spend with him. She's always been too much about work." Realizing I was word vomiting, I snapped my mouth shut and looked down quickly.

Dimitri knew me too well. He set the mugs down and walked over to me. "Roza, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said waving him off, but the tears forming in my eyes betrayed me. "Dammit," I cursed, wiping them away quickly.

Kneeling down, he wiped my hair from my face and gazed into my eyes. The love, adoration and almost worship shining in them just about killed me. My tears began to run freely, and I buried my face in his shirt, probably ruining it.

Without saying a word, he picked me up and carried me into the bedroom. Gently, he laid me on the bed and covered me with the comforter before crawling in beside me. Pulling me into his arms, he held me tight as I sobbed. Loving me despite the horrid amount of ugly crying that was happening.

I'm not sure how long we sat there before I fell asleep, but I woke up two hours later. Dimitri wasn't in bed anymore, so rubbing my eyes, I went to find him.

He was sitting at the dining table, his back to me. Slowly, I made my way over to him and sat down beside him. That's when I noticed what was in his hands. The prenatal vitamins. Pure confusion filled every feature of his face; it made me wonder how long he'd been sitting here staring at the bottle.

Deciding that honestly was probably the best policy, I took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant, Dimka. I went to the doctor, and they confirmed it. I told them it was impossible since we're both dhampir, but somehow I am. I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid you'd think that…" I tried to ignore the tears forming in my eyes. _Damn hormones_. "We're having a baby, Dimitri. They said it's really rare and that we might run into complications, but we're having a baby."

He looked up slowly, his eyes filled with tears. "You thought I'd be mad? That I'd think you cheated on me?" His voice radiated hurt.

"I know it was stupid, but, Dimitri, this was impossible. We weren't supposed to be able to have a baby. I was scared. I am scared."

Suddenly, he threw the vitamins down, and I started. _He was angry. He didn't believe me._ But instead of yelling, instead of accusing me and pointing fingers and hating me, he kissed me. He pulled me so close that I wasn't sure where my body ended and his began.

Pulling away briefly, he pressed his forehead against mine. "We're having a baby."

I laughed through my tears. "Yes." Suddenly, I felt my feet come up off the ground as Dimitri spun me around. Then, his mouth was on mine again. Under his touch, every worry I'd had melted away.

He began to laugh…and laugh and laugh. His joy was contagious and before long, we were both laying on the floor laughing uncontrollably. Between giggles, he'd plant small kisses on my forehead and cheeks and nose. Then, he sat up. Placing a hand on my stomach, he smiled. "We're having a baby," he said again as if trying to convince himself it was true.

Nodding, I sat up too. "It's not going to be easy, Dimitri. The doctor said there's a pretty big chance that I'll…that the baby…"

Placing a finger on my lips, he shushed me. "Don't worry, Roza. I'll take care of you." Then, getting close to my stomach, he whispered, "I'll take care of both of you."


	3. A terrible liar

The next day, I was on duty guarding Lissa which, in all honesty, gave me serious mixed feelings. I couldn't wait to tell her, but with the news also came the news that I couldn't guard her for the next nine months. The idea of that was frustrating.

After several kisses from Dimitri, I headed towards her suite. Christian answered the door wiping the sleep from his eyes, his hair a mess. Mumbling something about Lissa being in the shower, he walked towards the kitchen.

"Coffee?" he offered.

I couldn't help but laugh. "No, you have my cup. You need it more." Opening his mouth to return my comment with some snarky remark, he shrugged and poured his coffee.

Lissa emerged from the bathroom, her blonde hair glistening. "I'm almost ready!" she called. Minutes later, she waltzed out of the bathroom looking absolutely stunning. "I had to dress up for girl's day out!"

I laughed, a twinge of nervousness catching it in my throat. "Well, let's go!"

"Have fun, girls," Christian said, kissing her goodbye.

Once we were out the door, Lissa smiled brightly. "How long has it been since we've had a girls' day? No politics. No guardians…sorta. Just us and some long overdue mani-pedis!" She giggled with excitement.

I had to admit her enthusiasm was contagious. I let out a breathy laugh and nodded. "Hopefully we'll have these more often!" _Since I can't be your guardian for the next nine months…_

Suddenly, she stopped. "What is wrong with you? Normally you would be giddier than me about a girls' day. Did you and Dimitri have a fight?" Her eyebrows scrunched together.

"I'm fine, Liss. Let's go," I urged, entwining my fingers with her.

She pulled back. "No, really Rose, what's wrong?"

Putting on my best blissful face, I faced her. "It's really nothing. I just have a lot on my mind. So the sooner we get this day started, the better."

Tucking a loose hair behind my ear, she regarded my face carefully. "Okay," she conceded. "But you know you can tell me whatever's going on." I nodded. "You and Dimitri are okay?"

"Better than ever," I said honestly. This seemed to calm her fears. "What's new with you? I feel like we haven't had time to talk in a while." It was true. With her queenly duties and my silent part in her new life, opportunities for us to talk didn't come often.

"Honestly, I don't think…" She paused, and her face lit up. "Christian has been trying to get me to agree to a trip to Paris. I didn't want to decide until I ran it by you since you'll be coming with us of course! You and Dimitri, our fearless guardians!"

I felt my mouth go dry. "Paris? The guardian detail we'll need is –"

"I know, I know. It'll be extensive, but honestly, Rose we've been trapped in America all of our lives. Aren't you a little curious?"

"Yeah, no, it sounds like an awesome trip. I'll have to talk to Dimitri about it so we can work out the details, but it sounds amazing." Hopefully that would buy me some time.

Suddenly, the sharp smell of acetone hit my nose. Then, my stomach. Nausea rolled through me and quickly muttering to Lissa, I ran towards the bathroom. Once my tiny breakfast was completely out of my stomach, I looked up to find Lissa holding back my hair. She handed me a wad of toilet paper, concern filling her face.

"Sorry, I just…" At a complete loss for words, I shrugged.

"Rose if you weren't feeling well, you should've just told me. We could've rescheduled," she said, her voice filled with hurt.

"I'm fine. I just…something made me sick. I'm fine."

Shaking her head, she replied, "No. You're not. Do you want me to walk you back?"

I stood up and adamantly shook my head. "No. Let's go get some breakfast. I just, something I smelled made me feel sick and I hadn't eaten much this morning anyway."

She considered this for a minute, before asking, "You're sure?"

"Yeah. I'm sure." I knew that her suspicion was growing. I wasn't acting normally, and she saw it. Honestly, who wouldn't have?

"Okay…" she agreed reluctantly.

The walk to our favorite diner was a quiet one. I could feel Lissa's sidelong glances at me, but tried my best to ignore them. I wanted one more day before the world as we knew it ended.

We were seated quickly, and I felt Lissa's eyes searching me as I looked at the menu. "I'm _fine_ , Liss. Really. I must've eaten something wrong or something. It's okay."

"You really are a terrible liar, Rose."

"As are you," I said, laughing.

"Your Highness, Guardian Belikov, my name is Clarice. I'll be your server today. Can I get you something to drink?" our cheery, but obviously nervous waitress asked.

"Two mimosas, please," Lissa ordered.

"Make that one. Water for me," I said a little too quickly. Clarice nodded and dismissed herself.

"Okay now I know something is wrong with you. You were never one to turn down alcohol. What the heck is going on, Rose?" She shook her head. "And none of that 'I'm fine' bull. I know you aren't. What is going on?"

"Lissa, I just don't want to drink. I just threw up." Anxiety coursed through me. I could see in her eyes that she didn't believe me, not for a second. "Okay, if I tell you, you…you have to hear me out before you say anything, okay?"

Again, her face filled with pain. She said, "Rose, when have I ever judged you for anything? I'm your best friend. You can tell me anything."

"Well," I started, wondering how I would tell her. "I…my umm…I went to the doctor because –" Suddenly, my phone started ringing. _Janine Hathaway_ , flashed across the screen. "Shit," I muttered. "It's my mom. Just a minute."

"Hello?" I answered, as I found my way to back of the restaurant.

"Rose," her worried voice responded. "You never called me back. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry, Mom. Sorry if I scared you. I was just having a rough day and Dimitri wasn't home yet and I needed to talk to you. I'm alright. But hey, I'm out with Lissa. Can I call you later?"

Hesitantly, she said, "I guess if everything really is okay…Rose, call me later okay?"

My vision blurred and I quickly wiped away a tear that had escaped. "I will, Mom. Enjoy your vacation." Hanging up, I slowly made my way back to the table, which to my great disdain, had two mimosas on it. "What is this?" I asked Lissa.

"I told her to bring it. Come on, Rose! Let loose. Have a bit of fun. You're always so serious now that you're my guardian. I kinda miss crazy Rose."

"I can't drink this."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure you can."

I sat down and pushed the drinks to the end of the table. "Lissa, I'm…I'm pregnant."

As if I'd thrown cold water in her face, she jumped slightly and her eyes widened. "But you can't…Rose, what?"

"I went to the doctor because my period was super late. They took a pregnancy test and it came back positive. I don't understand it. They said it's really rare and that I'm not likely to…" I stopped, chocking up. "That I'm not likely to make it full term, but I'm pregnant." When I met her jade eyes, they were filled with tears.

"You're…you and Dimitri…you're having a baby," she tested the words on her tongue. Suddenly, she started giggling, her hand covering her mouth. "Does he know?"

"I told him yesterday. He's pretty excited." That was the understatement of the century.

"But Christian doesn't."

Suddenly confused, my eyebrows scrunched together. "Of course he doesn't. The only time I've talked to him was this morning. I didn't really talk much to zombie Christian. Besides, I wanted to tell you first."

Tears streaming down her face, she shook her head, "No, Rose." Pointing to the mimosas at the end of the table, she said, "I can't drink that either."


	4. Just open it

I stared at Lissa and raised my eyebrows. "What do you mean? Of course, you can drink! Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean you have to endure this prohibition with me."

She giggled, wiping away more tears from her cheeks. "Rose, you aren't listening." She reached into her purse and dug for something, stopping abruptly when our waitress returned. Lost to confusion, I wasn't even sure what I ordered. Then, as soon as Clarice was gone, Lissa slid something my way.

 _A pregnancy test._

 _A positive pregnancy test._

"Rose, I'm pregnant too. I'm due in December. Christian doesn't know."

Sure that I had the stupidest smile on my face, I grabbed her hands and practically squealed. "You're having a baby." She nodded. "You're going to be a mom."

"No, Rose," she said shaking her head. "We're going to be moms. Our babies will grow up together. They'll have each other just like we did." If it were possible, her face brightened a bit more. "Now that you won't have to work, we can spend so much more time together!"

Gravity tugged at the corners of my mouth. "Liss, that's the worst part. I can't be your guardian for a while. I –"

"Rose weren't you listening?" Squeezing my hand, she said, excitedly, "No more silent guardian bull. We can finally have conversations and be pampered together and it'll all be perfect!"

There she was. Golden Lissa. Always brightening the mood. I hated to spoil it all, but I had to be realistic. "Lissa, I don't know how this is going to work. My situation isn't like yours. People are going to think things, terrible things about me and Dimitri and this baby." I looked down, playing with my napkin. "Not only that…chances aren't good for us." Subconsciously, I placed my hand on my stomach. I could feel the tears forming in my eyes and promptly swallowed the lump rising in my throat.

"Stop." Her hand landed firmly on mine. "Your baby will be amazing, a mini-Rose or Dimitri."

"That isn't what worries me," I said, my voice catching. "The chance of miscarriage is so high Lissa. No baby born of two dhampirs has ever…"

Pulling my chin up so that my eyes met hers, Lissa smiled. "It's all going to be perfect. You'll see."

Though anxiety coursed through me, I couldn't help but smile. Lissa's positivity and happiness was contagious. I knew that deep down she was worried too, but she'd never let me know that. Since the bond had disappeared, she'd gotten slightly better at hiding her feelings from me, but after so many years inside her head, I almost knew her better that I knew myself.

The rest of the day was exactly I needed. We talked and shopped and just relaxed, something I hadn't done in quite a while. Lissa told me about the names she had picked out for her baby. She decided on Rhea for a girl after her mother and Lucas for a boy after Christian's father, though she wasn't sure exactly how he'd take that idea.

Honestly, I hadn't thought about names. _Why name something you're not sure you can keep_? The thought had crossed my mind a few times, but I'd promptly pushed it to the back of my mind and reminded myself of Lissa's words. _It's all going to be perfect. You'll see._

After walking her back to her suite and wishing her luck with telling Christian the news, I trudged back to my suite, my swollen feet protesting with each step. The suite was empty, and I couldn't help but wonder where Dimitri had gone.

Throwing off my shoes, I relaxed onto the couch and allowed myself to drift off slowly. When I woke up, I was covered in about four blankets and had to laugh to myself. Dimitri was notorious for doing that. He always seemed to think I was cold when I slept.

"Your mom called," he called from the kitchen.

I groaned and sank down into the couch a bit. "Of course she did. What did she say?"

"She wanted to make sure you were okay. She sounded pretty worried. You gotta call her back soon." He walked in holding his left arm behind his back.

"What's in your hand?"

He smiled and sat down by my feet. Pulling a small box from behind his back, he handed it to me. It was tied with a small yellow bow.

"What is this?" Involuntarily, I shook the box.

He waved his hand. "Open it." The smile on his face took over his every feature.

Throwing aside the yellow bow, I cracked the box open and glanced inside. Some sort of fabric? Then, fully removing the lid, I pulled out a small onesie from the box. It was red with yellow edges, the words "Super Hero" written across the front. A small yellow cape trailed behind it. I couldn't help but smile.

"He or she will take after you and be an amazing hero. I just know it," he said, caressing my leg.

Smiling, I leaned up to give him a kiss. "Thank you, Dimka."

"You're going to be an amazing mom."

The tears began to fill my eyes as I whispered, "I love you." Kissing him softly, I could feel his hunger. His arms wrapped around my waist as he deepened the kiss. He leaned me back against the couch and his hands found their way down to the small of my back. Laughing, I tossed the onesie aside and ran my fingers though his hair.

His hand slid further down, cupping my hip as he leaned further into me. Suddenly, he stopped and sat up, his eyebrows furrowed.

"What's wrong?" I asked, worry coursing through me.

Tearing the blankets off of me frantically, he remained quiet. His eyes filled with panic as they clouded up with tears. I looked down to try to understand and that's when I saw it. All over my pants and stained into the couch.

Blood.


	5. It's just that

Waiting for the doctor was agonizing. My heart throbbed in my chest as tears made rivers down my cheeks. Dimitri kept whispering, "It'll be okay" in my ear, but I wasn't sure if he was trying to convince me or himself. I definitely couldn't bear to look him in the eyes for fear that they'd be full of tears, and I tried my hardest to ignore the sniffling sounds coming from him.

I felt like a failure. Carrying a child was something that _anyone_ could do and here I had already messed it up eight weeks in. How would I tell Lissa? What would I tell my mother who didn't even know about the baby yet? How would Dimitri ever forgive me?

Distantly, I heard a nurse call my name, and I stood up, ignoring the nausea that rolled through me. I wiped my tears and tried to make my feet work. Finally, I just gave up and just let Dimitri drag me to the back. The nurse asked the usual questions, most of which Dimitri answered while I cried, then she led us back to another waiting room to wait for a sonogram.

"I'm going to need you to drink quite a bit of water in the next 30 minutes. Do you think you can do that for me?" she said, patronizingly.

"Yeah," I muttered. I really didn't appreciate her tone, but I took the stupid bottle of water from her anyway. The first of many.

After the third bottle, I'll admit, I had to pee pretty badly, but I kept drinking to spite the nurse and to keep myself busy. I still couldn't bear to meet Dimka's eyes no matter how hard he tried to catch my attention, and trust me, his attempts were getting hard to ignore.

About halfway through my fifth bottle, I felt as though my bladder was about to explode, so tiptoeing up to the nurses station, I told her I was ready. She nodded slightly and said the doctor would be ready in a minute. Only when I found out that "minute" actually meant thirty minutes did I waddle back up to the desk, keeping my legs clamped together and practically yell, "I need to see a doctor NOW."

The nurse nearly fell out of her chair, "Mrs. Belikov, please understand that Dr. Ashland is very bus –"

"Please understand that in about five minutes I'm going to pee on this floor and you will be responsible for cleaning it up. I need to see a doctor now. I need to know what's going on." My mouth shut abruptly as desperation entered my voice. " _Please_."

"Miss, I understand the predicament that you're in, however, I'm going to have to ask you –"

"Oh, do you? Do you understand? Really?"

Dimitri caught my arm. "Rose, stop. It's not her fault that this is happening," he said, leading me back to the chairs.

"Oh course it's not," I whispered, finally making eye contact with him. "It's mine."

"Oh, Roza, no." He took me into his lap and cradled me against his chest.

I began to sob violently, and chocked out, "Yes it is. We had the chance of a lifetime and I ruined it." Pain ran through my throat and down into my chest.

Stroking my hair, he sobbed with me. "Roza, I love you. Nothing can ever, will ever change that. Loving you is the chance of a lifetime."

My whole body shook against his. "I love you too," I whispered barely audibly.

He rocked me back and forth until Dr. Ashland finally arrived. Smiling sadly, he took us into the sonogram room. As he squeezed out clear slime onto my stomach, we sat in the most uncomfortable silence. He began to smear it around with an instrument that looked like a remote control.

I stared at the screen, seeing nothing but darkness. He poked and prodded, testing my bladder, but all that was there was darkness. My stomach sank. My chance to have a baby was gone. It was a one in a million chance that it would even happen in the first place. I doubted that we could somehow manage it again.

And then suddenly, a small black circle appeared, and Dr. Ashland stopped and smiled. "There's your baby."

"What? How is that possible?" Dimitri asked, stealing the words from my mouth.

"It's very common in the first trimester to experience bleeding or spotting much like you would during a normal menstrual period. It doesn't always mean that you've had a miscarriage, although if it continues we'll need to start monitoring it as it is a concern at that point," he explained.

"Then why the hell didn't anyone tell us that?" I asked pointedly. Burning red anger flashed behind my eyes.

"Well, Mrs. Belikov," he said, setting the instrument on the table. "We don't like to offer that sort of hope unless we know for sure that a miscarriage hasn't occurred. It doesn't do well for our patients."

Humbled, I nodded once. Then sheepishly, I asked, "Can we see the baby again?"

He chuckled. "Of course." Taking the instrument once more in his hand, he pressed on my stomach again. The black dot appeared once more and I couldn't help but smile. Our baby. Dimitri's and mine. It was still there, alive and well. "Wait a minute," the doctor said unexpectedly.

"What?" I asked, searching his face. I couldn't quite place the emotion on it. Confusion. Concentration. Surprise?

Taking a big glob of the goo, he pushed on the right side of my stomach, and then on the left. "Maybe not…" he muttered to himself.

My chest crumpled. Was it all just false hope? Did I really lose the baby and this black circle was just a blip on the machine? "What is it?" I said frantically.

He continued to stare at the screen switching from left to right on my stomach. Then he stopped. Surprise filled his face.

"Doctor, what's going on?" Dimitri asked firmly. "Is the baby alright?"

Smiling, the doctor said, "Yeah, it's just that…" Then he muttered to himself. "Let me just focus this a bit."

He laughed quietly to himself with an air of disbelief. "I have never had a case of a dhampir parents having a child, and then you two come along." Then he pointed to the screen. My eyes followed his finger and landed on not one, but two black circles. "With twins."


	6. The three of them

" _T…twins_?" I heard myself say incredulously. Beside me, Dimitri's breathy laugh sounded almost surreal.

Dr. Ashland nodded. "I can't believe it either, but there they are." He studied the screen for a moment before letting out a small sigh. "We won't be sure if they're identical or not until they're born. Even then, we may not know right away." He set everything down and turned to face us. "Your babies don't share a placenta. That's good. That means much fewer complications, and in your already high risk pregnancy, we don't need any more complications added to the mix. This makes them dichorionic diamniotic, or DCDA."

Removing his gloves, he explained, "All fraternal twins are DCDA, but there's a 1/3 chance that identical twins will also be DCDA. Basically, if you have a girl and a boy in there, we'll know for sure they're fraternal. Otherwise, we'll have to do blood tests and rely on physical features like eye and hair color to really know if your twins are fraternal or identical."

Finally Dimitri spoke, "What do we need to do to lower our risks?"

The doctor smiled. "You're going to have to make sure she doesn't work, and that she takes those prenatal vitamins I gave her."

"Done and done," he smiled before taking my hand in his. "We're having twins. _Twins_."

"I'll let you two have some time alone," the doctor said before dismissing himself.

My cheeks grew warm, and my eyes clouded over with tears. "We get to have two babies. I didn't fail."

Dimitri pulled me into a hug and buried his face in my hair. "Roza, I love you so much." Holding my head in his hands, he gently wiped away a tear that managed to escape. "You're going to be the best mother." Suddenly his face grew serious. "You heard the doctor. No more working. Can you do that?"

Laughing, I placed a hand on his cheek. "Yes, Mom. I can do that."

"You be careful, Rosemarie. That tone of voice won't fly in this house," he joked.

Giggling, I kissed him softly, warmth making its way through my entire body. His hands found their way to my back and pulled me up into the kiss. I couldn't help but feel butterflies which made it hard to breathe. I loved him so much.

After getting dressed, Dimitri and I decided to pay a visit to Liss and Christian to tell them the good news. As we left the doctor, I realized I hadn't told Dimitri about their amazing news. _It's for the best_ , I decided. He should hear it from them.

"What's with the smile?" he asked. "You look like you're planning something."

Shaking my head, I avoided his eyes. I knew that he'd see right through any lies I'd try to feed him, so instead I responded truthfully, "I'm just so happy."

Putting his arm around my shoulders, he pulled me close to him and kissed the top of my head. "What do you think they'll say?"

"I don't know. I don't even know if Lissa told Christian."

"Then he's in for one hell of a surprise." We took a few steps in silence before he added, "I'm sure she did. I mean if Lissa told _you_ news that big, you'd tell me right?"

 _Shit_. I mustered up all the confidence I had before answering. "I mean probably, but I don't know…there's something sort of special about hearing it straight from the source, don't you think?"

Shrugging, he said, "I guess, but I know you, Rose. You'd be so excited. You couldn't keep something like that from me. I'm willing to bet Lissa is the same."

Chocking back laughter, I nodded. "You're probably right." _Just you wait…_ , I added silently.

Smiling at the guardian posted at Lissa's door, I knocked perhaps a bit too vivaciously. It took a bit of time, but eventually Lissa found her way to the door, her hair an absolute mess.

"Were you two making out?" I whispered, trying to tame her wild hair.

"Maybe just a little," she giggled. "Christian, it's Rose and Dimitri!" she called, no doubt warning him to put his clothes back on.

Christian emerged from the bedroom, his hair too, a mess. "You two have _impeccable_ timing," he said, sarcasm dripping from his every word. "To what do we owe this _pleasure_?"

I glanced at Lissa. The sly look on her face told me that Christian knew nothing about our pregnancy, although I'm sure she'd told him about theirs as we'd just interrupted their celebration.

"We should probably sit down," Lissa suggested, smirking at me. "Can I offer anyone anything?"

"Belikov, you want a beer with me?" Christian offered. Dimitri nodded, taking a seat next to me on the couch. "What about you, Rose?"

"Nah, I'm fine."

He peeked his head around the corner, looking at me as if I'd grown another head. "Never heard you turn down a beer. What's going on?"

"That's what we're here to talk to you about, actually," Dimitri said, smiling.

"Oh, I get it. Rose going dry with Lissa?" Christian asked. It took all I had not to burst into laughter.

"What?" Dimitri's eyebrows furrowed together.

Christian handed the beer to him and shrugging said, "Well I just figured, Rose would've told you."

Dimitri suddenly spun around, searching my face for answers. Winking, I said simply, "Checkmate, Comrade."

Turning back to Christian, Dimitri asked, "You two are having a baby?"

"Well yeah," Christian responded, putting his arm around Lissa. "What else would you come here to talk about?"

Finally, unable to hold it in any longer, I folded over in laughter. I could hear Lissa laughing as well. She stroked Christian's face. "Oh honey…neither of us can drink right now."

I looked up, meeting Christian's look of confusion, and explained the situation to him leaving out the latest development. He looked from me to Lissa before his eyes made their way to Dimitri.

"Leave it to these two to be pregnant at the same time," he said holding up his beer bottle.

Dimitri tapped his against Christian's and nodded. "Always inseparable and no doubt the kids will be the same way." He turned to me and smiled.

"Oh, of course!" Lissa interjected enthusiastically. "The two of them will be thick as thieves!"

I shook my head, causing Lissa's smile to turn into the slightest frown. "No. Not the two of them," I said, placing a hand on my stomach. "The three of them."


	7. Not just one bundle of joy

"Well I'd love to keep planning the future with the both of you, but shouldn't you two really be getting home?" Christian said casually.

"Christian!" Lissa chastised.

Laughing, Dimitri shook his head. "It's okay, Liss. Point taken, Ozera."

Following Dimitri's lead, I stood up and headed towards the door. "Congrats, guys. You'll be amazing parents." I smiled, kissing Lissa on the cheek.

As Lissa and I parted, I noticed that she quickly wiped away the stray tear. Clinging to Christian's arm, she smiled at me. Christian kissed her forehead lightly before turning to Dimitri, "Take care of that one, will you? Make sure she listens to the doctor. Always been a bit stubborn, you know?"

Dimitri laughed, "Don't I know it."

We said our goodbyes and headed back to our suite. When Dimitri entwined his fingers with mine, I snuck a glance at his face. It was good to see him like this, so happy, so light-hearted, so unlike his usual somber disposition. Somehow it made me love him even more if that was even possible.

Squeezing his hand, I leaned into his arm and whispered breathily, "I love you."

He stopped abruptly and scooped me into his arms. "Я люблю тебя, Розу."

"Now you know that's not fair," I said pointedly, melting into his embrace.

He smirked. Then, leaning down he kissed me softly. Pushing up to my tiptoes, I deepened the kiss. Reaching behind him, he fumbled with the key, desperately trying to unlock our door. After several failed attempts, he broke the embrace and quickly unlocked it before grabbing my waist and pulling me inside with him.

Closing the door, he pushed me up against it, hunger in his eyes. I tangled my hands in his hair, pulling him down to me. Our lips met once again, and before long, my legs found their way around his waist. He broke the kiss, and before I could protest his lips were on my neck. Biting my lip, I moaned and dug my nails into his shoulder.

Then, most inconveniently, my phone went off. "Ignore it," Dimitri whispered against my skin.

Reaching into my back pocket, I pulled it out and glanced at the name. _Mom._

"I can't. It's my mom."

Reluctantly, he set my down on the ground and groaned, "No wonder Christian practically threw us out."

Giggling, I answered, "Hi, Mo–"

"Rosemarie Belikov. You will tell me what what's going on. You call me crying and then ignore me for the next twenty-four hours, blowing off all my calls and ignoring my questions? You tell me what's going on before I come back to Pennsylvania _right this second_."

"Mom, it's okay. I'm okay. I was just in shock the other day because I got some pretty big news, and I didn't exactly know how to handle it. Mom, I'm pregnant. Dimitri and I are having a baby."

There was silence on the other end. Eventually, my father said, "Rose, this isn't funny. Your mother has been worried sick."

"It's not supposed to be funny, because for once, I'm not joking. Call it rare, call it a genetic fluke, call it whatever you want, but that won't change the fact that I'm having a baby."

"You're pregnant," my mother said carefully. I could tell just how shocked she was by the strong Scottish accent that decorated her words.

"Yeah, Mom. You're going to be a grandmother, and Dad, you're going to be a grand _Zmey_." I let that sink in for a minute before dropping the next piece of news.

"She's pregnant, Abe. We're going to be grandparents." Distantly, I heard her kiss him.

"So when can we expect this little bundle of joy?" Abe asked.

"December," I replied before adding, "but there's more."

"More than you being pregnant? Rose, we've been gone for a week, not a year. What else could've possibly happened?" Mom asked incredulously.

"Well, it's not just _one_ little bundle of joy. I'm having twins." Complete silence met this announcement. I gave it a few seconds before saying, "Are you guys still there?"

"Just processing," came Abe's shocked response.

When my mom spoke, I could hear the tears in her voice. "I'm so proud of you, Rose. I can't wait to come home. I'll take you shopping, okay? We'll go find everything that you'll need."

I swallowed, holding back my own tears. "Thank you, Mom. I love both of you."

"We love you too, Sweetie," Abe relied genuinely.

I hung up and joined Dimitri on the couch. He took my hand, tickling my palm. "How did they take it?"

"They were really excited honestly," I replied. Then straddling his lap, I draped my arm around his neck. "Now, where were we?"


	8. Life isn't always fair

I remember a story that Lissa's mother had told us. We were only seven years old, and after begging Rhea to tell us a bedtime story, she'd conceded.

"Once upon a time," she began, "there lived a beautiful young maiden in a faraway land."

Though the story began as so many of the others, it quickly turned into something much different. After losing her father, the poor young maiden had to live with her horrid stepmother and equally terrible stepsisters. She was forced to do all of the chores in the house while the others had their fun.

Halfway through the story, Rhea caught a glimpse of my frown. "What' wrong, dear?"

"It just doesn't seem fair…" I explained.

Clasping her hands together, she looked at me with such tenderness and compassion. "Oh darling, life isn't always fair. It won't always treat you kindly, my dear Rosemarie, but you only lose when you let it kill the love in your heart."

Laying in the hospital bed now, I recalled those words. My face was wet and my stomach and heart ached. Pain coursed through my body and I searched for an explanation, some terrible thing I'd done to deserve this.

 _Life isn't always fair._

I glanced at Dimitri. He was in the hallway talking in hushed tones with the doctor, though I wasn't sure why they were whispering. I could figure this one out on my own. I'd seen the blood. I'd felt the pain. I knew.

 _It won't always treat you kindly._

Hanging his head, Dimitri approached my bedside, but I refused to look at him. Somehow it was all worse now that I'd lost not one, but _two_ of our children, two that we would never have the chance to have again. I had failed. I didn't deserve him.

"The doctor said that –"

"I know," I said, cutting him off. I was surprised by the apathy in my voice.

"Rose, you–"

"Just go away." I wanted to be alone, to pity myself and wallow in the sadness the consumed me. The last thing I wanted was for Dimitri to be here, _forgiving me._ "Please."

"You can't just shut me out, Rose. I'm _here_ ," he said desperately.

"Well you shouldn't be. I don't know why you would still want to be with me. I did this Dimitri. We'll never have children _because of me_."

"Rose, you're being completely irrational. Please just–"

"NO!" I practically screamed. I couldn't look at him right now. I couldn't see the tears in his eyes and know that I had put them there.

"Rose! Listen to me!" his voice filled with despair.

"GO AWAY!"

He took my shoulders and began shaking me. "Rose!"

I woke up in a cold sweat, my entire body shaking violently. Dimitri was still holding onto my shoulders. Quickly pushing him away, I threw the blankets off of myself to check for blood, but there was none to be found. Then I lost myself in the tears.

Dimitri held me tight whispering over and over again, "It was just a nightmare, Roza."

It may have been "just a nightmare," but it was too real, too…possible. All this time I'd been fooling myself, celebrating this pregnancy rather than worrying about it. Honestly, I'd never felt so helpless. I had very little power to protect these babies, and after so many years of having it drilled into my head that I had to do everything possible to defend those around me, this killed me.

I leaned into Dimitri's chest and tried to calm myself back down. Getting this upset couldn't possibly help anything.

"Shhh, it's okay. I'm here," Dimitri whispered, stroking my hair. "I love you. I'm here."

Still shaking, I wiped the tears from my eyes and took Dimitri's hand in mine. He leaned back, allowing me to rest on his shoulder. Rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb, Dimitri began singing an old Russian lullaby. Though I had no clue what the words meant, I found great peace in it and allowed myself to imagine him singing it over a crib. The thought made me smile.

Once the song was over, he shifted to get a glimpse of my face. "Roza, are you alright?"

That was a good question. "I…think so…"

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked playing with a strand of my hair.

Scoffing, I answered, "No."

"Okay," he said simply. Kissing the top of my head, he settled in and wrapped his arm around me.

After several minutes of silence, I whispered, "It's not fair."

"Hmm?"

"It's not fair," I said a bit stronger. "People get pregnant all the time and don't have to worry about miscarrying. I bet they don't wake up from terrible nightmares and live in fear."

"Oh, Roza…who said life is fair? Look at all we've been through. None of it was fair, and yet here we are. I love you and I love our two little babies, and that will never change." He paused for a second before saying, simply, "That's enough for me."

"What did I do to deserve you?" I said a bit sleepily.

He laughed soft and deep. "You have no idea how amazing you are. You're so strong and so full of love. It's incredible. I always wonder what I did to deserve you."

Suddenly, I remembered Rhea's words.

 _Oh darling, life isn't always fair. It won't always treat you kindly, my dear Rosemarie, but you only lose when you let it kill the love in your heart._

Sitting up, I kissed him lightly. "I love you, Dimka."

He cradled my face in his hands and said, "Я тоже люблю тебя, Роза. Навсегда и день."


	9. I love you two already

"Dimitri! Hurry, come here!"

Almost running into the door frame, Dimitri came sprinting into the bedroom. Panic filled every feature of his face. "Roza, what's wrong?"

"Come here!" I urged smiling widely at him.

Cautiously, he walked towards me. I reached eagerly for his hand and placed it on my small swollen stomach. Watching his face, I waited.

After a few seconds, I felt it, a tiny kick, and I watched as Dimitri's face lit up. He excitedly placed his other hand on my stomach as well and splayed his fingers.

We deserved this little moment of happiness after the two months of apprehensive doctor's visits that basically left us living our lives on eggshells. Not to mention all of the new rules I had to follow. I couldn't drink coffee anymore which was a real tragedy, but as I felt the tiny kicks, I decided it was all worth it.

With my stomach clearly showing, I could hear the whispers in the hallways. Not everyone exactly believed our story, but luckily for us, there was bigger news at Court.

The story of Lissa's pregnancy had spread like wildfire. Court was buzzing with excitement for the Dragomir baby. There were already bets on what gender the baby would be and what Lissa and Christian would name their first child. Lately, the names Rhea and Eric had been floating around quite a bit.

Though Lissa would never let it show, I knew the extra attention added much more unneeded stress to her life, and bless his heart, Christian did his best to shield her from it.

Gingerly, Dimitri leaned his ear up against my stomach. He whispered something in Russian and smiled up at me. "You're so beautiful."

Rolling my eyes, I smirked back at him. "Yeah, yeah, help me up, will you?"

Getting out of bed was becoming a daily struggle. My center of gravity was completely off and my once perfect balance now failed me in the simplest of ways. I swear Dimitri caught me from falling over at least once a day. His eyes were always watching me, preparing for my next klutzy moment.

"Hot chocolate?" he offered.

I thought for a second. "Yeah, that'd be great."

He nodded and went to work heating the water. While he did that, I searched the fridge. I grabbed the dill pickles from the door and put a few in a bowl, completely aware of Dimitri's eyes on the back of my head.

"Pickles? And hot chocolate?" he asked, making a face like I was the most disgusting person he'd ever met.

Pointing at my stomach, I raised my eyebrows at him. "You did this, Comrade. Now you have to live with the consequences." He chuckled and shook his head.

Sitting down on the breakfast bar, I rested the bowl on my stomach. Honestly, these were the best pickles I'd ever eaten. I wasn't going to let him bring me down. Also, it wasn't the weirdest thing I'd eaten in the last few months. He was on duty the night I decided to put potato chips in my ice cream. It really wasn't a bad combination to be completely honest.

Slowly and almost reluctantly, he slid a mug of hot chocolate my way. "Double chocolate?"

"What else?" he said shrugging.

Taking a big sip, I smiled blissfully at him. "Dimka, will you grab the oreos while you're up."

Scrunching his eyebrows together, he complied. I enthusiastically shoved an oreo in my mouth before chasing it with a pickle and a sip of hot chocolate.

"Alright, I'm going to go before I throw up," he said simply kissing the top of my head.

"Training again?"

He nodded. "Love you."

"Love you too," I said stuffing another oreo in my mouth.

Lately, he'd been training my temporary replacement. I wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea, but Lissa needed someone to help out over the next few months especially since Dimitri was spending less and less time guarding her as he was opting to spend more time with me.

I leaned back and rested my hands on my stomach. The twins were still kicking slightly. "Just five more months guys. Hang in there with me." They stopped moving at the sound of my voice. "I love you two already."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Groaning, I pushed myself up and made my way to the door. Pushing up to my tiptoes, I glanced out the peephole before opening the door eagerly.

My dad stood there awkwardly holding a present. "Rosemarie."

"Hey, Dad!" I hugged him…well sort of hugged him trying to maneuver around my belly. "What are you doing here? Where's Mom?" Now that she'd transferred her guardianship to him, I rarely saw them apart.

"Right here, Sweetie," she said peeking out from behind him. She kissed my cheek and handed me a bag of In-and-Out.

"Oh my God, Mom. You're a saint."

She laughed. "Now I wouldn't go that far, but I know that I always craved In-and-Out when I was pregnant with you."

Taking a fry from the bag, I invited them inside. We sat down on the couch, Abe and my mom sitting adorably close together. She laced her fingers with his and nodded to me.

"We got you a little something, dear," she said as Abe handed me the gift.

Wiping my hands off, I took it. "You guys didn't have to get me anything. Really the food was enough."

"Call it making up for the first eighteen years of your life," Abe said simply. He kissed my mother on the forehead and I had to smile. He'd changed a lot since they got back together. _Zmey_ was gone forever, replaced with a soft, loving father who I could almost, _almost_ see as a grandpa.

Slowly, I removed the tissue paper and glanced inside. Pregnancy products. There was some soothing skin lotion, a couple of bella bands, and some weird walkie-talkie looking thing.

"It's a fetal doppler," my mom explained. "Put the wand to your stomach and it'll let you listen to the babies' heartbeats." She moved over towards me and helped me set it up. Within minutes, we were listening to two tiny heartbeats _thump-thump-thumping_ against all odds.

Wiping a few stray tears away, I smiled at my mom. "Thank you so much. You have no idea…"

Hugging me tightly, she whispered, "It's going to be okay, Rosemarie. I love you." She wiped a tear away and glanced back at Abe. "Well, Sweetie, we should get going."

He nodded and stood up. Kissing my cheek lightly, he said, "If you need anything, Rose, you call. Okay? Now that we're back at Court, we're never too far away. Alright?"

"Thanks, Dad. I will."

Helping me up, he guided Mom and I to the door. Lifting my chin up, Mom kissed my nose. "You use that lotion, Rose. Trust me."

"I will, Mom. Thank you guys. Really."

"You're very welcome," Abe replied. Placing a hand around Mom's waist, he closed the door behind them.

Eagerly, but carefully, I half-jogged back to the couch. I grabbed the doppler and laid back carefully finding the magic spot on my stomach. Relaxing for the first time in months, I allowed myself to drift off to the sound of their little heartbeats.


	10. It was no accident

"Roza?" Dimitri's voice shook me from my sleep. Groggily, I moaned and stretched my arms. My hands rested on my stomach as I gathered the energy to sit up.

"Need some help with that?" Dimitri smirked at me. His steady hand supported my back as he helped me to my feet.

"What time is it? Are we late?" I mumbled, remembering the doctor's appointment we had this afternoon.

"No, but training ran late, so we will be if we don't leave now." Grabbing my bag, he slung it over his shoulder and guided me toward the door. I was still pretty dazed, but soon, the twins started kicking again which did quite a bit to wake me up.

"Training already," I whispered.

Smiling, Dimitri stopped and rested his hand on my belly. "That must've been one heck of a nap."

I sighed. "It really was. This was the first time in a while that they haven't woken me up…and that I haven't had to get up to pee." Almost immediately after the words left my mouth, I regretted them. "Dimitri…"

Sighing, he unlocked the door and let me back inside. Thankfully, he was used to my overactive bladder and treated it as a necessary evil of our new everyday lives.

Quite a few adjustments had been made lately. Weekly doctor appointments, hourly potty breaks, minimal work hours…it was a wonder Dimitri and I hadn't gone mad. Both of us longed to get back to work, but as the days passed, it became clearer and clearer that our lives would never go back to the way they were.

Once the twins were born, we'd have a full time job raising them. Who knew when I'd finally get back to guardianship? My heart was torn, so my current solution was to completely ignore the problem until I absolutely had to deal with it. Sure it wasn't the best plan, but damn it was effective.

I found Dimitri patiently waiting outside the suite. "All set?" he asked. Nodding once, I took his hand and we set off for the doctor.

We knew this path far too well at this point. Luckily, aside from the one panicked trip, every doctor's visit was strictly routine. I felt my heart fly into my throat when I remembered what today's visit entailed.

"What are you hoping for?" I asked, curiously glancing up at him.

Scoffing, he shrugged. "Roza, we've having babies – our own babies – I could care less what the genders are as long as the three of you are healthy."

"Indulge me," I urged.

"Okay…" Tilting his head sideways, he said, "Well, I've been thinking of them as one boy and one girl. What about you?"

"Boys," I said as one of them kicked my bladder pretty hard. "Little warriors ready for battle." I walked in silence for a bit, the next question resting on the tip of my tongue. "Have you thought about names?"

At this, his eyebrows raised. "I hadn't thought that much about it." He opened the door to the clinic for me, shrugged, and said simply, "Guess we'll have to start thinking about that."

Something in his tone told me he had been thinking about it and that he had names in mind. Strangely though, I understood why he was holding back. I'd thought about names for hours on end and never discussed it with him. With how high risk everything about this pregnancy was, I didn't want to risk naming the twins yet. That made it too real, far too impossible to let them go should anything…

"Guardians Belikov," the nurse greeted genially. "How is everything?"

"Great," Dimitri responded immediately. "The twins have started kicking!" He sounded like a little boy who had just won his first baseball game. The pride and enthusiasm in his voice almost brought tears to my eyes.

"Have they?" She stood up and peeked over the counter at my little swollen belly. "May I?"

Nodding, I directed her hand to where the twins where currently kicking the hell out of me. I'm not sure what they were trying to accomplish, but damn they were working hard at it.

"Oh my!" she exclaimed. "They're quite active." Smiling at me, she added, "Like they're parents, I'm sure. How much longer do you have?"

"They're due the end of December so four more months," I replied.

Sitting back down, she smiled widely at both of us and finished checking us in. "Well, I wish you both the best of luck."

With a giddy smile, Dimitri said, "спасибо."

Laughing quietly at the nurse's confused face, I said, "He means thank you. Sorry, when he gets too excited, he slips into Russian."

Four bottles of water later, the doctor finally called us back. He was apologizing for the wait because of something with the sonogram equipment being messed up. Honestly, I didn't care what his excuse was. All I knew was that I was about to pee on the floor and it was going to be his fault and responsibility to clean up.

When he started pressing on my stomach, I thought for sure my stomach was going to explode. I was about three seconds from cussing him out when I saw the twins up on the screen. Every part of my body softened as I watched them. One was sucking its little thumb and the other was punching away at the sonogram wand. I couldn't help but laugh.

"That one takes after you," Dimitri said gently.

The doctor nodded, staring at the screen. "Little fighter just like her mother."

"Her?" I perked up at the word.

His head bobbed once. "Little girls, both of them." He pointed out the evidence on the screen.

My heart swelled. When I glanced excitedly at Dimitri, I noticed tears in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away. "Aделаида."

"What does that mean?" I laughed. I'd never heard him use that word before.

Shaking his head, he explained. "It's a name, an old Russian name that my mother always loved. I grew fond of it myself growing up."

"Adelaida," I tested the word on my lips. It was quite beautiful. "Adelaida and…Evanna." Dimitri's eyebrow raised at that last bit, so I explained, "Mom mentioned once or twice that her mother's name was Evanna. I never learned much about her, only that she was a guardian that put even my mother to shame with her battle prowess."

"Evanna and Adelaida," Dimitri said softly. "I love it." He planted a small kiss to my cheek before turning his attention back to the screen.

When the doctor managed to pry us from the screen, he wiped my stomach clean and sent us back to the front to make our next appointment. It was then that I noticed two Moroi men. They looked to be about fifty, but I knew they were probably much older. Both of them had their eyes locked on my stomach.

One of them, the shorter one, made eye contact with me as we passed. I flinched as his glare cut into me.

"What's wrong?" Dimitri asked, noticing the small movement.

"Nothing," I lied, pushing him toward the front desk in hopes of a quick escape.

The taller of the two began speaking. It was too loud to ignore, too clear as it sliced through the air to be misheard. "I heard she cheated on him…yeah with none other than Lord Ozera."

Before I could blink, Dimitri had left my side. He picked the guy up out of his chair and threw him to the ground. I watched wide-eyed as fists flew. Then, suddenly felt myself knocked off balance. I grabbed desperately for something to hold myself up, but found nothing nearby. The last thing I saw before hitting the ground was the cold glare of the shorter Moroi man that was too pointed to be misunderstood. He towered over me, smiling maliciously.

This hadn't been an accident.


	11. Promise me two things

Scooting back towards the wall, I winced in pain. I took a quick inventory of my pain wrapping my right arm around my stomach furiously hoping the twins were alright. Luckily, the pain was coming from my left arm rather than anywhere near my abdomen.

When I glanced over at Dimitri, all I could see was blood and fists. He was going to kill the Moroi, despite the two guardians trying to tear him away. In an attempt to stop him, I called out to him. Finally I got through, and as soon as he saw me on the ground, he jumped up and rushed toward me. With one good punch to the smaller Moroi's face, he leaned down next to me.

"Are you okay?" his voice filled with panic.

"Yeah, it's just my arm. It's killing me," I said as three nurses and two more guardians rushed toward us. They tried to get me up off of the floor, but before I could even move, Dimitri scooped me up in his arms, careful to avoid my left side.

Following the nurse, he carried me back to an exam room where she began to poke and prod and ask me a million times. After listening to the twins, she assured us that they were both fine and that my arm had taken the brunt of the fall. Murmuring something about an x-ray, she practically sprinted out of the room.

Almost as soon as she left, the two guardians were at the door. "Guardian Belikov, we need to speak with you."

"отвяжись," he said curtly. This was met with shocked and disapproving looks. "You heard me!" Dimitri shouted at them. "Your asshole assignments deserved exactly what they got. Honestly, they got off easy. Now get the hell out of our room."

The look on his face gave even me the chills. I couldn't imagine being on the other side of those eyes. Wrapping my fingers around his wrist, I pulled him towards me. "Comrade, stop." His shoulders softened slightly, and I looked up at the guardians. "Please leave."

Looking rather torn, they conceded. As soon as the door closed, Dimitri took me into his arms. Kissing me softly on the forehead, he whispered, "Я извиняюсь, Роза."

"What are you sorry about?" I asked, placing my right hand on the side of his face.

"I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry that you probably hear these things on a daily basis. I'm sorry I can't protect you from it. I'm sorry, so, so very sorry."

"Stop." I shook my head at him. "This isn't your fault. I knew that this was going to happen eventually. But look, you can't just go beating up people like that. You could've killed him."

With fire in his eyes, he said, "That's the one thing I'm not sorry for. I _should've_ killed him. He deserved it."

"Comrade, if you had, you'd never see Evanna and Adelaida," I said simply, knowing this was the only thing that would get through to him. " _They come first._ Just because Lissa would side with us doesn't mean we can get away with murder. Literally."

"He could've hurt them," he said blankly. His eyes welled up and he placed his hands on my stomach. Gently, he placed a kiss to both sides before glancing up at me. "How bad is your arm?"

"Broken," I said flatly. No use in dancing around it. Something was definitely broken, but it wasn't the first time and definitely wouldn't be the last.

Seconds later the nurse burst in to lead us for the x-ray. Despite my fervent assurances that I could walk perfectly fine, Dimitri scooped me up once again.

Once the x-rays were taken, we had nothing to do but wait for the doctor. It seemed like that was all we did lately, and even though we'd had plenty of practice, neither of us had gotten any better at it. It wasn't long before Dimitri was pacing the room.

Finally, the doctor walked in. "Five broken ribs, broken nose, broken collarbone, three broken wrist bones, fractured tibia and a slight concussion," he read from his laptop.

"I think you have the wrong room," I said in a small voice.

"No, this is the right room," he said as he looked at Dimitri pointedly. "Thanks to Lord Szelsky's actions against you," he nodded at me, "Prince Lazar won't be pressing charges."

Scoffing, Dimitri threw his hands up. "Oh, that's rich."

"Do you think this is a joke, Mr. Belikov?"

"Are you serious? We should be the ones pressing charges," he said squaring his shoulders up to the doctor.

Shrugging, the doctor set his laptop down. "You think that would be wise?" He put my x-rays up against the light and flipped the switch. "You two may be at the queen's right hand, but going up against the Szelskys and the Lazars? I suggest being thankful that your little ones are unharmed, developing thick skin, and moving on, Belikov. Not everyone is going to understand your situation, and they will say hateful things. This doesn't open up the door for you to try to kill them."

The doctor pulled up a stool and held Dimitri's stare. "Two centimeters," he said calmly. "One broken rib was two centimeters away from puncturing his lungs. Two more centimeters and Prince Lazar may have died. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to deal with the Lazar family after killing one of their most respected family members."

I sobered up and placed a hand on Dimitri's shoulder when he opened his mouth to speak. "How bad is my arm?"

Focusing his attention on the x-rays, he said, "Luckily, it's a clean break. It's in the ulna just above the wrist. It should be pretty easy to set. You'll have to wear a cast for the next six weeks, but there shouldn't be any complications or anything."

Pulling down the x-rays, he glanced over at me. "I do want you to monitor the twins especially closely over the next week. If anything seems off, anything at all, come in immediately. We're sure they weren't harmed, but we need to make sure the trauma from the fall doesn't affect them. Sometimes the stress of a situation like this can be just as harming as the fall itself."

I nodded. "Of course. The girls are our number one priority."

"Now, let's get that arm taken care of, shall we?"

Once the bone was set, he wrapped up my arm up nice and tight and sent us on our way. We set our appointment for the next week and with Dimitri fussing at my side, we finally left the office.

"Dimitri, please, I'm alright. I've broken a few bones in my time. _You've_ broken my arm before." He winced at that. "The twins are fine. My arm will heal. Stop fussing!"

"Okay, alright…" he yielded, backing off. "I'm just worried about you."

I took his hand. "I know you are, but Comrade, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." Standing on my tiptoes, I kissed his cheek. "I had a great teacher, you know."

"Must've been one heck of a mentor…" he sighed.

"Ehhh…he was alright. Bit of a hard ass at times though," I giggled.

"Mark my words, Roza. When you get out of that cast, I'll make you pay for that little comment." He hugged me to his chest. "Should we go share our news with Christian and Lissa?"

"They found out their gender tomorrow! I wonder what she's having…" I trailed off.

Dimitri chuckled and led me towards the master suite. After explaining what happened to the worried guardians outside her door, I readied myself for the string of questions I was sure Lissa would have. The red cast on my arm was a bit conspicuous, and I wished I'd gone for a calmer color. For now, I tucked my arm behind Dimitri and followed him into the suite.

"Hey guys!" Lissa chimed, holding out a cupcake. "I knew you'd stop by after your appointment to share your news, sooooo we, well Christian, baked cupcakes!"

Christian came from the kitchen, licking icing off a spoon. "They're damn good cupcakes too, if I do say so myself." His head crooked sideways when he saw me hiding behind Dimitri. "What's wrong with you?"

Deciding I couldn't hide my arm forever, I readied myself and stepped forward.

"Rose! What happened?!" Lissa frantically set the cupcake down and waddled over to me. "You know you aren't supposed to be getting into fights!"

"This wasn't her fight actually," Dimitri said, shame filling his voice. He detailed what had happened with Szelsky and Lazar leaving out the horrible comment that started it all.

"Why on earth would you pick a fight with such powerful people, Belikov?" Christian said, dumbfounded.

"They said I'd cheated on him," I explained, "with you."

When I looked up, I found fire in Lissa's eyes. "Whatever power in government those two thought they had is now gone. I'll make sure of it." After seeing the blatant disapproval I'm sure was written all over my face, Lissa countered, "Rose, I won't have people like that on any sort of council that makes decisions for my people. This is more than just a petty power move because they're terrible people, although that would be enough of a reason for me. This is about what's best for all of us. Those two don't need to have any power."

"Plus, I mean, I'm flattered, but honestly Rose, you aren't my type," Christian added, lightening the mood a bit. "Now how about those cupcakes?"

Suddenly, I felt ravenously hungry as I took the pastry from his hand. He jumped back. "Wow, don't get in the pregnant ladies' ways…," he warned.

This earned a laugh from Dimitri. "You're just lucky you don't have any pickles."

Lissa waved her hand dismissively. "We're carrying your children. We should be able to eat whatever we want!" Then, smiling at me she asked, "So am I getting nieces or nephews? Or maybe one of each?"

"Nieces," I said, earning a squeal of joy from Lissa.

"Evanna and Adelaida," Dimitri announced.

"Oh, those names are gorgeous," Lissa cooed. Smiling wide, she pulled me into an awkward belly-bumping hug. "I'm so happy for you."

Holding my shoulders, she pulled me back to look me in the eye. "Promise me something?" I nodded. "Two things actually…"

"Whoa now Liss, let's not get crazy," I joked.

"First, no more fist fights." She looked purposely at Dimitri.

Putting his hands into the air, he agreed, "No more fights."

"Good," she said directing her attention to me. "Second, come with me and Christian to our appointment tomorrow?"

My heart burst as I nodded extravagantly. "Of course, Liss! I'd love nothing more," I barely managed before being pulled into another awkward yet heart-warming hug.


	12. Any guesses

Groggily, I stretched and tried in vain to wipe the sleep from my eyes. The girls had kept me up all night with their "training" and even though I longed for just a few more hours of sleep, I knew I only had a couple of hours to get ready for Lissa's appointment.

I rolled onto my side and shifted my weight under me. Then, steadying myself on the nightstand, pulled myself up. It took skill to do anything around my belly these days, and although I was sure it never looked graceful, I always found a way around it.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Dimitri chuckled.

Flipping him off, I sauntered into the bathroom. It really annoyed me just how happy he was in the morning. He was the type of person that got up at three hours early to go on a jog just for the fun of it. I'd sleep in a few hours every day if the world would let me, but alas, the world was a cruel place.

After a refreshing shower, I threw my hair into a semi-presentable bun and met Dimitri in the kitchen.

"I made pancakes," he chimed, handing me a stack covered in butter and soaked in syrup. "Just like you like them."

" _Oh God, I love you,_ " I breathed, reaching up to kiss him.

"You tossed and turned a bunch last night," he said nonchalantly.

"Yeah," I said, stuffing a forkful of pancakes in my mouth. "That's what happens when the girls are up all night kicking my bladder."

"Are they kicking right now?" he asked, a tinge of hope in his voice.

Scoffing, I stared at him. "No. Now that I'm awake, they're both perfectly still, probably asleep since they sure didn't sleep last night." Shoving another forkful into my mouth, I was suddenly craving Doritos. "Comrade…?"

Looking up from his coffee, he nodded. "What, Roza?"

"First of all, these pancakes are amazing. But umm…do we have any Doritos by chance?"

Laughing, he got up and searched the cabinets. Finally, he found a bag and poured me a bowl. As he handed me the bowl, he paused for just a second, "Just promise me one thing?"

"Hmm?" I mumbled, mouth full of food.

"Don't put them on your pancakes. I might just throw up at that one."

Grabbing the bowl from him quickly, I smiled. "I'm not promising anything, Comrade. The girls are hungry, and we will do as we please."

"Well then I'm evacuating before it gets too…interesting," he said, scrunching his face. "Я люблю тебя, Роуз."

Crumbling the Doritos onto my pancakes, I kissed his cheek. "Love you too, Comrade."

With a gagging noise, he was gone. Shrugging, I stuffed the concoction into my mouth. I'm not sure exactly why, but these were honestly the best pancakes I'd ever eaten. After successfully shoving all of the pancakes down my throat, I took the syrup and made a nice Dorito cereal. It also turned out better than expected, and by the end of it the girls were going crazy.

"You two are your mother's daughters," I assumed, licking the last bit of sugar from my lips.

After washing all of the evidence down the sink, I grabbed my purse and went to meet Lissa. She was sitting apprehensively on the edge of the couch in the most uncomfortable looking position.

"You okay?" I asked wandering into the living room.

Looking a bit distracted, she nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready."

Pulling my eyebrows down over my eyes, I sat on the chair beside her. "That's not exactly what I asked, Liss."

"Huh?" she muttered, finally meeting my eyes. "Oh sorry, I'm a bit…"

Taking her hand, I squeezed it gently. "Don't worry, Liss. Christian and I will be right there, and it'll be perfect."

"They're taking bets," she whispered simply. Upon noticing my confusion, Lissa explained, "The royal families. They're taking bets."

"Who the fuck cares what they think?!" I practically shouted.

"That's what I said." Christian emerged from the bathroom with only a towel around his waist. Looking down, he shrugged and retreated to the bedroom.

"Lissa, look," I pulled her chin to make her look at me. "It doesn't matter what they think. This is your baby. What do you want?"

"I want this baby to be healthy, Rose. I want it to not have to deal with the pressures that I do. And for the love on St. Vladimir, I want fire magic to be dominant."

There it was, the real source of her apprehension. She was scared of passing on the biggest curse she'd had to deal with.

"Rose, I can't watch my child go crazy like I did. I can't watch them sink into depression. I can't pretend to ignore the red marks on their wrist or the dark circles under their eyes from nights occupied by nightmares and fear of things that don't really matter."

"Oh, Liss," I pulled her into my chest, feeling her sobs shake her body. "It won't happen. You know why? They won't be along in this. They will have you and Christian, and Dimitri and me. Hell the whole royal court already loves this baby. So even if they're a spirit user, they won't be alone in their fight. Look at all the advances we've already achieved when it comes to spirit. We will only get better at understanding it and controlling the negative effects. Your baby will have a beautiful life. I promise." I planted a light kiss to her cheek and wiped away the tear streaks that stained them.

The corners of her mouth tugged up slightly and she sighed loudly. "You're right."

"Of course I am. Now let's get you to your appointment. Where's Christian?"

After he finally got dressed, we walked to the clinic. We signed in and, yet again, I was stuck playing the waiting game. Lissa remained pretty quiet and I knew she was thinking about everything again.

Lately, I'd been so wrapped up in my own problems and being jealous of Liss's "easy" pregnancy, that I hadn't even considered the pressures it was placing on her. Even Christian looked to be feeling the effects. The dark circles under his eyes told me that he'd spent a few nights up with her soothing her fears. I was thankful for him. He loved her more than anything in the whole world and I couldn't ask for anyone better for her.

"You're looking a bit tired, Rose," Christian pointed out.

"Yeah well it's morning," I joked. Giving me a look, he raised his eyebrows. "The girls kept me up all night kicking."

"Oh! Are they kicking right now?" Lissa perked up, thankful for the distraction.

"A bit, yeah." I took her hand and placed it where one of the girls was going after some organ that I'm sure I really didn't need anyway."

"Oh wow!" Lissa placed her other hand aside of the first. I guess the twins didn't appreciate the intrusion much as they began to kick violently at her hand. "Christian, come here! You have to feel this."

With a quick glance around, he gingerly placed a hand on my stomach. I moved it a bit as the girls continued to kick away. "Well they definitely are you and Belikov's," he chuckled.

"Queen Dragomir," the nurse called quietly. The three of us stood up and followed her into the back. It was the usual process with the usual questions, and honestly I had to physically stop myself from answering them myself. I'd answered them so often in the last four months that it was almost second nature to me now.

"Your sonogram will be ready in just a minute, Your Highness. Do you need anything to drink?"

"No. Trust me, I've had plenty." She shifted uncomfortably for good measure.

Minutes later, we were taken back. Apparently things were faster when you had the queen with you. "Now who's ready to find out the gender?" the doctor asked encouragingly.

"We are!" Christian joked.

"Great enthusiasm!" the doctor said, clearly not picking up on sarcasm that literally dripped from Christian's words. "So what are we hoping for? Anything in mind?"

With true grace that only Lissa could've mustered, she said, "I'm sure the people will love him or her either way."

Not wanting to contradict her, the doctor simply agreed. Slathering what I'd come to refer to as _Sonagoo_ on her belly, he began searching for the baby. "There we are," he said, revealing a small little figure sucking its thumb.

"Oh, Liss," I said, leaning forward to get a better look at the screen.

"Any guesses for the gender?" the doctor asked cautiously.

"A little girl?" Christian suggested.

"Nah, I bet it's a boy," I countered.

"Well one of you is right!" the doctor tried and failed to make a joke. "See that right there?" He pointed to the screen and smiled up at Lissa. "That is our new Prince Dragomir."


	13. Unexpected Visitor

Everyone always talks about how wonderful pregnancy is, but no one ever told me the truth about pregnancy. No one ever mentioned the hot dog and Cheerios craving that hits at 2:45 am with little to no warning. They never brought up just how many damn times you pee in one day. And they certainly never said anything about how awkward your belly becomes after 33 weeks.

My only consolation was that the twins now had an amazing chance of survival as long as nothing happened during delivery. Their little heartbeats chugged away and brought a smile to my face every time I listened to them, but honestly I was ready for Evanna and Adelaida to be out of my belly.

After what seemed like an eternity of bickering, Lissa and Christian had finally settled on a name for their little boy. Initially Lissa had opted for Lucas Aaron Dragomir, but Christian was adamant against it. He thought that naming the baby after his father would set a few people off in court, which it no doubt would. He countered with Eric Aaron, but Lissa shot that down pretty fast.

"I want him named for both sides of the family!" she whimpered. "If he has to take my last name, you should at least have some part in his name."

Though I'm sure he still wasn't entirely convinced, Christian agreed to Aaron Lucas Dragomir. He told Lissa that people wouldn't be as upset if Lucas was the prince's middle name, although I knew that was bullshit.

They'd still be upset. I knew that. Christian knew that. But he wanted to make her happy, and deep down he was still Christian, always prepared to tell people to go to hell when they disagreed with something that made Lissa happy.

"Roza, you home?" I heard Dimitri call from the front door.

"Yeah! I'm in the living room," I called back.

He peeked his head around the corner and smiled. "There's someone here to see you."

Suddenly, I was being scooped up in the arms of none other than Olena Belikova. She kissed my cheeks warmly and smiled at me with those golden brown eyes. "Rose, it is so nice to see you again!"

"Olena! It's so great to see you! How have you been?"

"I would be better, but I had to listen to мама complain the entire flight here," she joked.

Slightly surprised, I interjected, "Yeva is here?"

Then, a snarky voice sounded from the kitchen, "Она думает, что я хотел бы остаться позади, Тьфу!" I wasn't sure what it meant, but I could say with absolute certainty that it wasn't "nice to see you."

"The others had to stay, but Karolina, Sonja and Viktoria send their love. They'd have given anything to be here." Gingerly, she reached out and touched my belly. In protest, the girls kicked at her hand. "My, my…feisty one I see! So tell me, am I getting a granddaughter or a grandson?"

I looked quizzically up at Dimitri. "You didn't tell her?"

Shrugging, he crossed his arms over his chest. "I thought it was something she should hear from both of us." Sitting Olena down on the couch, he moved a stray hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "мама, you're going to have granddaughters."

Tears filled her eyes and she pulled him into a hug. "Twins?!"

"It's go big or go home in this family," I teased.

Suddenly appearing beside us, Yeva mused, "Вы очень благословил."

Noticing the quizzical look on my face, Dimitri translated, "You are very blessed."

"We are, aren't we?" I chimed, smoothing out my shirt over my belly.

"May I?" Yeva inquired pointing to my stomach. Before I could nod, she placed her hand delicately on either side. "Their lives will be full of beauty and love and…" She trailed off, making a face that quite honestly scared me.

"Yeva?" I asked cautiously.

"I am tired," she announced.

Jumping up immediately, Dimitri led her to the bedroom for a nap. I looked at Olena and recognized the worry in her eyes that I'd so often found in Dimitri's. "What was that about?"

Shaking it off, Olena answered, "Oh, you know Yeva. She's always so dramatic. I'm sure this was just her being…well, being Yeva."

I could tell that she didn't believe that, but it honestly scared me too much to call her out. Anxiety had haunted me for the entire pregnancy, and for once, I just wanted to be sure of myself. She said their lives would be full of beauty and love, and I sure as hell wasn't going to question things further.

"So Rose, what crazy things have you eaten?" Olena queried perking up a bit.

I listed off a few of the best combinations while Dimitri gagged on the couch. At one point, Olena smacked him. "You want to know what I ate while I was pregnant with you, Dimka? Borscht and syrniki. Constantly."

Placing his hand over his mouth, he stood up and said, "On that note, why don't I go and make us some dinner. Any requests?"

I piped up. "Well I have no idea what syrniki is but I'll have that."

"Dimka!" Olena chided. "You've never made her syrniki?"

"We're always working, Mom," he explained.

"Well you aren't working now. I assume you still remember how to make it," she supposed.

Giving her a look, he disappeared into the kitchen. She grinned. "He has a good heart, a доброе сердце."

"Because of you," I said.

"No, it's more than that." She leaned back into the couch. "He's always been about duty and doing what is right, but Rose, you've changed him. He's…softer now. I don't mean that in a bad way. Don't mistake me. I just mean, he's always done his duty for duty's sake, but now he does it for so much more." She paused for a moment, smiling. "Love."

Not sure what to say, I rested my hands on my stomach and whispered, "Thank you."

"No, Rose, thank you. You took my boy and made him into a man. You gave him life and love and now a family. I couldn't ask for a better daughter-in-law."

The curious smell of smoke wafted its way into the living room. Soon after, Dimitri poked his head in and said, "Not that everything isn't under control, because it is, but umm…could you come help me, Mom?"

Laughing wholeheartedly, she shrugged. "There is only so much we can do, Rose." Then she joined him in the kitchen.

In the meantime, after scooching my way out of my chair, I peeked my head into the bedroom to check on Yeva. To my utter surprise, she was not only awake, but waiting for me.

Pulling me in by my shirt collar, she looked me up and down. "How far?"

"I'll be at 34 weeks tomorrow," I answered. Curiosity was killing me. "Hey Yeva, what was that about earl–"

"Too close," she murmered. "Two girls?"

"That's right…?" I watched as her brows sank down closer together. "Should I be worried about the girls?"

"No. No," she muttered. "Everything is fine. I sleep now." Then, against my will, I was shooed from the room.

"Wait, Yeva, what is going on?" I wasn't going to let her just blow this off like this.

"Don't know what you are talking about…" Avoiding eye contact she mumbled, "Она понятия не имеет, и я не буду, чтобы сказать ей."

"What does that even mean?" I leaned down to force her to make eye contact. "What did you see? What do you know that you don't want to tell me?"

Throwing her hands into the kitchen, she said, "You ask too much! I sleep now. You go." She rushed over to the bed and got under the covers quickly. The whole thing had my anxiety racing. Was there something wrong with the twins? Were they not quite as healthy as the last doctor's visit had suggested? Why wouldn't she just tell me?

Giving up on her, I sighed and closed the door behind me. As I made my way to the kitchen, rather than smoke, my noise was met with a much more pleasant smell. I couldn't quite place it, but it smelled a bit like crepes. Quite honestly, it was making my mouth water.

"God that smells divine…" I said, taking a seat at the breakfast bar.

Olena perked up, giggling. "One of my favorite Russian dishes! Is there any powdered sugar?"

"Yeah! It's the third cabinet, second shelf," I replied, pointing.

Scolding Dimitri for taking his eyes off of the pan, she followed my directions. She searched for a bit before looking pathetically back at me. "Are you sure?"

"Here, I'll get it," Dimitri offered, but after a glare from Olena, he promptly went back to cooking.

Laughing, I stood up to take a look. The cabinet was a bit tall for me and usually I'd just have Dimitri reach up and grab whatever I needed. Since he was a bit occupied, I pushed up to my tiptoes and reached for the bag. Inadvertently, I knocked the vanilla extract off the shelf.

"Crap." Leaning down ever so carefully, I reached for the stupid little brown bottle.

Suddenly, I felt wet running down my leg.

"Shit…I know bladder control is out the window, but are you kidding me?" Even as I said the words, I knew they were wrong. The intense pressure told me a much different story.

"Rose?" Dimitri asked, slightly concerned.

I glanced up at him. "Ummm…well stop cooking and grab the overnight bag we packed. I think my water just broke."


	14. My three beautiful girls

**Rose POV**

When they'd taken that stupid cast off my arm, I was sure that no other pain could've compared to the searing pain up my forearm, but _oh how I was wrong._ There really was no description for labor pain. It hit was hitting more and more frequently since we'd arrived at the clinic and each time was worse than the last.

Luckily, I had Olena coaching me as Dimitri was running around like a chicken with his head cut off. The boy could face a hundred strigoi with no problem, but two little girls were currently flipping his world upside down, which would've been okay if he weren't currently pissing me off quite so much with his fussing.

I was also unsettled by the fact that Yeva was sitting in the corner mumbling to herself in Russian. Occasionally, she'd look up at me, meet my eyes, and then quickly avert hers. Her words haunted me. _Too close._ What the hell did that mean?

"Rose! Sorry we're late!" Lissa smiled as she waddled into the room, Christian close behind her. "You wouldn't believe the guardian detail they tried to send in here with me." Leaning over, she kissed me lightly on the cheek.

Christian smiled from behind her and asked, "Do you need anything, Rose?"

"No, I'm good. Dimitri has already asked me…forty –seven times," I added pointedly.

Nodding in understanding, Christian looked over at Dimitri. "Hey buddy, it's gonna be a bit. Why don't we go grab everyone some food?"

He looked unsure. "But what if…"

Olena piped up. "She's only dialated to a six, Dimka. We have four more inches to go."

Giving in, Dimitri nodded. "You'll call if anything happens? Anything at all?"

"Of course," I nodded giving him a quick kiss before Christian ushered him out the door.

Reaching up, Olena tucked a sweat soaked hair behind my ear. "I love that boy. I do, but goodness…"

Laughing, I prepared myself for another contraction. There hadn't been one in quite a while and I knew I was due for one soon. Sure enough, as if brought on by the laughter, the pain shot through my body. I grabbed Olena's and Lissa's hands grunting through the pain.

As soon as it was over, I smiled bitterly at Lissa. "Something to look forward to."

She let out a breathy laugh, but it was Olena that answered. "It's worth it in the end." She placed a hand under my chin and smiled admiringly at me. "When you get to hold your baby – or babies in your case – and they're looking up at you like you're the only thing in the whole world, nothing else matters because you're already holding everything in your arms. It's truly incredible."

I couldn't help but beam down at my belly. Glancing up at Lissa, I noticed a few stray tears running down her face. "Liss?"

Shaking her head, she wiped her cheeks quickly. "Damn hormones." She took my hand and met my eyes, love flooding hers. "I know I've said it before, but you're going to be such a good mom."

"You too," I chocked, pulling her into a hug.

 **Dimitri POV**

"But what if something happens and she needs me there?" Worry coursed through me.

"Dude," Christian grabbed my shoulders, shaking me a bit. "It's going to be alright. You heard Olena. She's got four more inches before the excitement. Now you know Rose, she'll be hungry from literally pushing your kids out of her body. You owe her food at least."

I tried to hide the smirk sneaking onto my face. "I suppose I do…" Glancing down at my feet, I said, "I guess I'm just being a little overly-anxious."

"A little?" he scoffed.

I stopped in my tracks and stared at him. "Tell me you won't be freaking out when Lissa goes into labor."

He chuckled. "You'll be freaking out when Lissa goes into labor. _The whole Moroi community will be freaking out when Lissa goes into labor_."

Crossing my arms, I raised an eyebrow at him. His perfectly squared shoulders sank. "Okay, okay. Yeah. Okay? I'll be freaking out. Happy?"

I smiled at the small victory, but that knot still plagued my stomach.

"Belikov, stop worrying," Christian soothed, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Your nine months are over. You've made it."

Suddenly the knot was in my throat. I pulled Christian into a hug to hide the tears I was sure had found their way into my eyes. "Thanks Christian," I whispered.

Patting my back, he replied, "No problem. Now let's get some food back to our wives before they both come after us with a ravenous vengeance."

Laughing, I began grabbing foods that I was sure Rose could eat while in labor. I did grab a few of her favorites in case she wanted to get a bit more adventurous, but stayed clear of anything I was sure would make her sick. She didn't have good impulse control on a good day when it came to food, much less when she was probably working off several calories per minute trying to deliver two babies.

When I met up with Christian, he was holding the interesting combo of cherries, Nutella and a turkey sandwich. He shrugged. "This is what she eats now."

I opened my mouth to ask if the Nutella went on the cherries or the sandwich, but quickly decided I didn't want to know. After the concoctions I'd seen Rose mix up, I figured Lissa probably had some strange cravings too. Being grossed out was a small price to pay, I guessed.

Once we'd paid, we started back to the delivery room. With every step, butterflies in my stomach got a bit more frantic. I'm sure by the time we got to the neonatal ward, I was practically jogging. Thankfully, Christian didn't comment. He simply followed closely behind, the taps of his feet somewhat comforting.

Rose was leaning back on the bed, looking tired, but as beautiful as ever. She perked up slightly as we walked in. "How are we doing?" I blurted.

"I'm at a nine," she sighed snatching the bag of almonds from my hands. "They said I have to push soon, which is gonna hurt like a bitch since contractions are already killing me – did you bring any chocolate?"

Fear struck my heart. "Rose, you know the doctor said no rich or sugary foods."

Instead of the snark or anger I'd prepared myself for, she simply shrugged and mumbled. "You could've at least tried to sneak it in."

I sat down beside her and took her hand. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Lissa spreading the Nutella on her sandwich and I quickly focused on something – really anything – else to keep from gagging. I noticed Yeva was still mumbling in the corner, the same thing over and over.

Конец. _The end._

I had always been scared of my grandmother, but the last several hours in this room with her had been torture. I know Rose was getting tired of my fussing, but I had to do something to drown out the constant muttering, and fussing over her and the twins seemed like the logical thing to do.

"Alright, Rose, let's see where we're at shall we?" the doctor suggested, sauntering into the room. "The great news is that the girls have perfectly positioned themselves. We just have to get them out now!"

Rose, looking very _un_ amused, rather than responding to his joke, took a sip of water.

"Well you're almost fully dilated. How are your contractions?"

"They're pretty –" Suddenly she stopped and reached for my hand. Cutting the circulation off of my fingers, she screamed. Through the grunts I could hear her muttering some of the only Russian words she'd bothered to learn. Meanwhile, I had to physically stop myself from crying out with her.

After what seemed like hours, most of the tension left her body and she said, "Awful. They're pretty awful."

"Has the epidural helped at all?"

She shrugged. "Maybe a little, but not a whole lot."

He nodded. "Well let's have a little look-see, shall we?" Whispering something to the nurse, he looked over at me. "Ready to be a father?"

My throat felt dry. "Of course," I croaked out.

Smiling, he looked up at Rose. "One of the twins has started crowning, so it's time to start pushing Rose. Just follow me. I'll guide you through it."

Rose nodded and took my hand once more. Leaning forward, she began to push, and push. It was terrible to see her in this much pain, but since there wasn't anything I could do about it, I just said supportive things to her.

"We've got a head," the doctor announced. "Let's get baby number one out into the world. Big push for me."

Seconds later, the tiniest cry pierced the air. My heart fell into my feet as I watched the doctor had the baby, our baby to the nurse to clean up.

"We aren't finished yet, Rose. Keep pushing. One baby down, one to go," he urged.

With determination in her face, she pushed. In no time at all, a second cry sounded, this one, anything but small.

Once the two were cleaned up, the nurse laid them on Rose's chest. I stared in awe at my girls, my three beautiful girls and I couldn't help but cry with joy.

The twins couldn't have been more different. One was pale as Janine with curly ginger hair. The other had darker skin with a head full of dark brown hair.

I reached up to kiss Rose and I noticed her eyes fluttering shut. "Roza, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired…" She closed her eyes completely. "So very…"

Then, cutting through the air and straight into my heart, the high pitched whine of a flatline.

Конец.


	15. It's going to be good

I jolted awake at the awful sound. "Well… I don't feel dead."

The nurse laughed as she leaned down beside the bed. "That's the thing about pulse oximeters, Mrs. Belikov." She placed it on my finger and smiled. "You have to keep them on."

With that, I shot back to life. Suddenly, Dimitri attacked me with kisses. "Roza, don't ever scare me like that again."

"Don't blame me!" I exclaimed before glancing down at the paler of the two twins. "Blame Evanna. She kicked it off."

"Evanna?" Dimitri smirked.

"Well her red hair, pale skin…she just seems more like an Evanna than an Adelaida. Don't you think?"

Placing a kiss to my forehead, he whispered, "It's perfect." Picking up Adelaida, he smiled lovingly down at her. "You look just like your babushka, you lucky girl."

Olena's eyes teared up. "May I?" She took Adelaida into her arms, gently cradling her head and began singing to her in Russian. It was a soft melody, simple, but enthralling. I hung on her every note.

Once she'd finished, I told her, "You'll have to teach me that one."

She nodded, tears sparkling in her eyes. "Of course, Roza."

Lissa was lightly stroking Evanna's head with her ring finger. "Your mom will be so proud of that red hair." She smiled up at me. "I asked Christian to go call her."

"Thanks Liss."

"They're beautiful, Rose. Look, she has your smile."

She did. She was absolutely gorgeous. I couldn't believe just how much I loved them both already. As Evanna looked up at me with her bright green eyes, I suddenly understood what Olena had said. I had everything in the world with my girls, and nothing else mattered. Suddenly all of the struggles we'd been through with…well, with everything were nothing. It had all been worth this.

It didn't take long for my mom to get to the clinic, moving as fast as her legs could carry her with Abe close behind. She was on a mission, and no doubt, people were practically jumping out of her way.

"Oh Rose…they're absolutely adorable. Look at all that red hair!" She took Evanna into her arms and smiled at me. "Have you named her?" I told her and she swooned. "Your great-great-grandmother's name was Evanna," she told her. "She was the most respected guardian of her time."

Turning around, she offered Evanna to Abe who looked utterly terrified. I don't think he'd ever held a baby before. Mom showed him how to hold her and supported his arms. Watching him was almost comical. The look of pure concentration upon his face had me giggling.

"Rose?" Olena handed Adelaida back to me. "I think I'll take Yeva for a walk. She's a bit…out of it."

I nodded thankfully. Since the mishap with the pulse oximeter, her daunting mumbling had turned into confused sputtering. It would be nice to get her out of the room.

"I think we're going to leave too, Rose," Lissa said, leaning down to kiss my cheek. "Give you and Dimitri some time with the girls. Besides, I'm feeling a bit tired."

Christian pulled Dimitri into a hug. "The girls are beautiful. You're one lucky guy."

Patting his shoulder, Dimitri smiled wide. "I know, and thank you."

My parents kept us company for a bit. Mom was utterly taken by Evanna. Her red hair and pale skin had my mother talking about long lost memories of Scotland and the family she barely recalled. It was kind of nice to see her this way. It made me wonder how she'd been with me.

My father, on the other hand, cowered behind her. It seemed that babies made him a tad apprehensive, though he was warming up to Adelaida…as long as I was the one holding her that is. He was already promising her all sorts of things, and it quickly became clear that these two would be extremely spoiled by everyone around them.

Finally, my mother tore herself away from Evanna and placed her in Dimitri's arms. "We should probably go," she said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself.

Abe kissed my forehead. "We're so proud of you. If you need anything, Rosemarie, you know the drill."

Then, it was just the four of us. Dimitri sat down at the foot of the bed cradling Evanna. He was smiling down at her, meeting her bright green eyes. She cooed as her rocked her back and forth, and I quickly decided that this was something I could get used to.

Adelaida, I could already tell was going to be a fighter. She squirmed against me, her deep brown eyes alight with a thirst for freedom. A laugh bubbled up in my throat. Leave it to me to have a born warrior. She was probably the little culprit that kept using my bladder as a punching bag. I couldn't help but feel she'd taken after me, and with that, a bit of guilt at what I must've put my own mother through.

"They're so beautiful, Roza." I could hear Dimitri chocking up a bit. "You're amazing."

I considered this. "Well, I'm not going to argue with you there." After receiving his best, _really Rose?_ face, I smiled and added, "They really are amazing, aren't they? Look, Addie has your eyes."

Nine months ago, if you had described this day to me, if you had told me I'd be sitting here with the love of my life and our two beautiful daughters, I may have used something worse than the things I'd said to the initial doctor that had flipped my world upside down. And I probably would've called you cruel.

When Dimitri and I had gotten married, there were several whispers in the audience. Some were innocent, some scandalous, and some downright mean, but none haunted me quite as much as the one I heard walking up the aisle.

 _She took away his chance at a family._

Honestly, I'd come to peace with the fact that I'd never be a mother. It didn't really bother me. I had Lissa to look after, and that was good enough for me. But the fact that I'd taken away something that I knew Dimitri wanted so badly…well it killed me and quite literally almost made me turn and sprint back up the aisle.

Yet, here we were. Cradling not one, but two precious baby girls. A lover and a fighter, it seemed.

And it didn't matter what people thought about us, or what they whispered as we passed by. All that mattered is that my husband and babies, my _family_ , were surrounding me.

"Rose?" Dimitri's eyes held a bit of concern.

I shook my head. "Sorry. I was just thinking about the future."

Nodding, he smiled and tucked the blanket closer to Evanna's face. "What's it hold?"

"I don't know." Biting my lip, I ignored the blurriness that filled my eyes as I repeated something I'd said a lifetime ago. "But I think it's going to be good."


	16. I'm so proud of you

Rose POV

Watching the lights sparkle in Dimitri's eyes, I quickly remembered why winter was my favorite time of year. I heard the girls begin to rustle and smiled up at Dimitri. It was good to have them here at Court even if it was just for a couple of weeks.

Adelaida came running around the corner mumbling something about being late.

"Honey, you just got here! Where are you going?" I called.

Peeking around the corner, she said, "Didn't I tell you? I'm meeting Andre for lunch, but I'll be back for dinner."

Dimitri tensed up. I knew he was protective of the girls, but I never quite understood his qualms with Andre.

Placing a hand lightly on his chest, I whispered, "He's Lissa's son."

"It's not the Lissa part I'm worried about," he said hesitantly.

Smiling up at him, I placed a light kiss on his cheek. "At least it isn't her professor."

He shook his head. "Roza, Roza, Roza…"

Adelaida called to Evanna. "Can I do your hair?"

"Only if you'll let me put eyeshadow on you. Your blending sucks."

Scoffing, Adelaida crossed her arms. "Does not." Raising an eyebrow, she taunted, "Careful, Evey, I might just do your hair really shitty."

"Eva, you're leaving too?!" When I got no response, I turned to Dimitri and sighed. "What have we released upon the world?" I asked leaning into him.

"Well, I'll take credit for Evanna, but Adelaida is pure Rose Hathaway." After noticing my look, he promptly added, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I could totally kick your ass in combat," I heard Adelaida shout in the other room.

Laughter bubbling up in my throat, I glanced up at Dimitri. "I have no idea what you mean."

The corners of his mouth curled up. "I could totally kick your ass in combat," he said mockingly.

Putting on my best Russian accent, I threw my hands on my hips. "It's not about kicking my ass in combat. It's all about the greater good. Will kicking my ass in combat really make the world a better place?"

Scoffing, he rolled his eyes. "Ugh…I don't have time for your Zen bullshit."

"Now, you listen here, the world is a vast and rema –"

Suddenly, my mocking was cut off with a kiss. His hands on the small of my back pulled me closer as his lips moved to my ear. "Your accent is terrible."

Pushing him back, I smirked. "But I hit you right on the head, Comrade."

Shrugging, he squeezed his eyes into slits. "I don't think I'd say…"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Evanna walking slowly into the room. "Daddy?"

And just like that, I watched him melt in her hands. Those two got along so well. They were a lot alike, quiet, reserved, the fire within controlled. Nothing like me and Adelaida.

"Yes, Eva?"

"Well," she said, somewhat hesitantly. "I have a date too."

"Oh really now?" he said curiously. "With who?"

Adelaida appeared in the living room and took Evanna's hand. I tensed a bit. Whatever was coming was big. I just hoped Evanna hadn't taken after her mother.

Hesitating for a moment, Evanna took a deep breath. She looked to her sister who nodded assuringly. "With Justine Ivashkov, Adrian and Sydney's daughter."

That's when it hit me. She was worried to tell us because she was scared we wouldn't accept her. Floods of guilt washed over me. Gingerly, I took her hand.

"Honey, do you like her?" I asked quietly. A sheepish nod was her only response. "Then I'm happy. As long as you find someone who makes you happy, I will wholeheartedly approve." Standing up, I pulled them both into my arms. "That goes for both of you."

Stepping aside, I watched as Dimitri kissed them both on the forehead. "Любить и быть любимым." Love and be loved. "I'm so proud of you girls. You've become such beautiful young ladies right before my eyes. I love you both."

Adelaida hugged her sister softly as Eva let out a shaky sigh. It killed me inside to think Evanna had been so nervous to tell us about Justine, but it also warmed my heart to know that she'd relied on Addy.

Tapping them both on the nose, I smiled. "You girls better get ready. You'll be late for your dates."

Evanna hugged me tightly. "Thanks, Mom."

Then, Adelaida entwined her fingers with Evanna's. "Let's go do that hair."

As the girls, our girls, retreated to the bathroom I couldn't help but smile at Dimitri. "You know what we've unleashed upon the world?"

He smiled and tucked a stray hair behind my ear. "What, Roza?"

"The most loving, loyal and beautiful girls the world has ever seen," I sighed.

"They definitely got that from their mother." He pulled me close against his chest.

As I soaked in his smell, I heard Adelaida's voice, ever so quiet from the bathroom make me smile wider than I ever had in my entire life as tears filled my eyes.

"I'm so proud of you, Evey."


End file.
